And Blood Shall Rule the Forest
by Maplefrost-232
Summary: We all know the story of the battle with BloodClan. But what if Firestar hadn't won? What if Scourge took over the Clans? Would the Clan cats be forgotten forever, drowned in a sea of blood? Rated for violence, blood, and dark themes.
1. Prologue

"Four will become two. Lion and Tiger will meet in battle, and Blood shall rule the forest." We all know this chilling prophecy. But what if the end was literal? What if BloodClan won the battle?

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**Yeah... I came up with this idea today. This is NOT the Scourge story I've told a few of you about; that's different. This is new. Basically, my view on what would have happened if Firestar _hadn't_ won...**

**Make sure you read the allegiances part. It's not long, but it's important.**

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**Cats of ThunderClan that died:** Brackenfur, Cinderpelt, Firestar, Whitestorm, Willowpelt, Longtail, Thornpaw.

**Cats of ShadowClan that died:** Blackfoot, Runningnose, Cedarpaw, Jaggedtooth

**Cats of WindClan that died:** Tallstar, Deadfoot, Barkface, Tornear, Mudclaw, Whitetail

**Cats of RiverClan that died:** Leopardstar, Blackclaw, Loudbelly, Shadepelt, Stormpaw

**Remaining cats of ThunderClan (I only put 'remaining cats of' for ThunderClan because they're the main Clan… You know their characters the best.): **Bramblepaw, Fernpaw, Dustpelt, Sandstorm, Mousefur, Ashpaw, Graystripe, Frostfur, Goldenflower, Cloudtail, Brightheart,

**BloodClan allegiances:**

**Leader:** Scourge

**Deputy:** Bone

**Other 'warriors': **(Everyone from the Clans that is still alive shortened their name. For example, Ashpaw is now Ash. A few kept their full names since it would have sounded stupid without it—for example, Littlecloud is still Littlecloud—but most didn't. I'm only listing the cats that aren't originally Clan cats here because otherwise it would take forever to type everything up.)

Snake – Barley's brother. Black and white tom.

Ice- Barley's brother. Black and white tom.

Opal- Pretty silver she-cat with dark blue eyes

Brick- Rusty ginger tom.

Killer- Dark brown tabby tom

Slate- Dark gray she-cat

Lady- tortoiseshell she-cat

Dirt- Brown tom.

Charcoal- Almost-black dark gray tom

Night- Black she-cat, sister of Day

Day- Yellow she-cat, sister of Night

Moon- Silver tabby tom with dark black stripes

Cloud- White and silver tom

Lily- Brown-and-white she-cat.

Grass- Ginger she-cat with long, wispy fur.

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"BloodClan is victorious!"

The high-pitched voice of Scourge rang out over the sounds of battle. The mangled body of Firestar lay in front of him, split open much like Tigerstar's had been only three sunrises before, and blood pooled around the BloodClan leader's feet, staining his paws red.

A gasp went up over the fighting cats, the battle stopping nearly immediately. Bodies littered the sacred ground of Fourtrees, matted with blood, and the surviving cats were not free of injuries.

After a deafening silence, an ear-splitting wail rang out, echoing around the earthy hollow. Triumph and sorrow mingled in the cries, and Scourge sat on his perch atop the Great Rock—which he had leapt upon—a hungry gleam in his eyes.

"Firestar is dead, along with all the other Clan leaders!" The scrawny cat gestured to the bodies of Tallstar, Leopardstar, and Blackfoot with his tail. Hundreds of eyes followed his motions, their shock and horror growing at the sight of every fallen leader. "The Clans are no more! BloodClan shall rule the forest!"

Scourge swept his eyes over the crow, chips of ice piercing every cat's pelt.

"All of you have two choices; leave, and perhaps _perish…_" he said the last word ominously, his loyal followers surrounding the Great Rock snarling for extra effect. Would the black cat really send his cats after the fleeing warriors to exterminate them? "Or," he continued. "Join me. You must all make your decision by the next sunrise. If you haven't left or united with me by then, you will be killed."

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**PLEASE review. I need to know if this is a good idea, and if I should continue it. **


	2. The Decision

A minuscule patrol of cats trudged towards the ThunderClan camp, heads down and tails dragging in the dust. The cats had, without even speaking, begun to pad that way as one.

All the elders and kits were there, anyway; perhaps that was the reason why they all made their way to the old ravine. But whatever the reason, as the cats streamed into the hollow, the elders knew at once that the battle had not gone well.

"What happened?" Speckletail rasped.

"We lost, that's what." spat a RiverClan cat venomously.

"All the leaders are dead," Graystripe confirmed, his voice tired and strained. He looked old beyond his years, his expression weary. "Scourge said that we have one sunrise to either leave, or merge with him."

Webfoot snorted. "It's not like we actually have a choice, either; Scourge practically said that if we leave, he'll send cats after us to kill him."

Mousefur stepped forward. "I say Graystripe is in charge," she meowed. "He's the only remaining deputy, and all the leaders are dead."

A few cats, most of them from other Clans, raised their voices in protest. But they were cut short by Sandstorm, who shouldered her way to the front, her eyes ablaze. "Are our separate Clans all you can think about right now? The leaders of every Clan have just died! We are all together in this tragedy! And we will not let their death's be in vain!"

The pale ginger she-cat's voice was tight and angry, her fiery green gaze sweeping over the crowd of cats, daring one of them to object.

"She's right," a small voice agreed. Littlecloud padded forward. "We cannot be split by our separate Clans now. This is our darkest hour. We have failed. And we must face our fate together."

Barkface padded up beside the young medicine cat. "The Clans are no more," he declared, his voice raw with grief. "We are one. And now we must decide together what we shall do."

Slowly cats began murmuring their agreement, and, taking this as a sign of approval, Graystripe leapt atop the Highrock. "Cats of LionClan," he began. "We all know of the tragedy that happened today. The Clans were torn apart. We have failed our warrior ancestors." The ThunderClan deputy's voice quavered as he continued, "Many of us lost our kin. Our friends. I lost the greatest friend you could ever hope for, and my son. But we cannot let this destroy us. We are warriors! We will not be destroyed."

The cats raised their voices in yowls of approval and determination.

"But," Graystripe continued. "We have a choice. We need to decide our fate. Will we flee, our will we merge with BloodClan?"

The cats began murmuring among themselves, until one cat called out, "How do we decide?"

"Cats who wish to flee, stand on this side of the Highrock. Cats who wish to stay, this side." Barkface pointed with his tail at the opposite sides.

Slowly, cats began to stream into their positions. Graystripe watched in anticipation, noting that the numbers were almost completely even.

"It's come down to one cat," Barkface noted after they had all lined up. "We will stay."

Muttering broke out and the cats gathered in small groups, talking in hushed, fast voices.

Graystripe cleared his throat, and all the cats turned to him. "Tonight we will sleep here. ThunderClan has a bit of food saved. Divide that up. In the morning, I will venture with Barkface and tell Scourge of our decision."

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**PLEASE review… more reviews, quicker updates. They're what make me want to write.**


	3. The Message

Sand licked the grease from her fur, her face twisting in disgust as she did. She could never get used to the taste of twoleg-grease; the first few times she'd had to groom it off of her, she'd thrown up. Now she simply shivered.

A moon had passed since the Clans had joined BloodClan. Scourge had started by killing off every elder, in each Clan, publically. As a way of showing that weak cats would be eliminated, and that he ruled over them with unshakeable power. A fear technique.

He had also quickly murdered Graystripe. He was, as Scourge saw it, a threat. 

Sand hated him.

That was another thing. Nearly every cat had to drop part of their name. She was no longer Sandstorm, but 'Sand'. Dustpelt was 'Dust'. Only Littlecloud and a few others had been allowed to keep their names, as 'Little' would be a pretty odd name.

Sand's paws closed over a skinny rat. She was in Twolegplace; most cats hunted in the forest, but Scourge often sent the former-Clan-cats city-hunting. Sand guessed it was a power thing. But either way, she, and every Clan cat, hated it; the slimy, scrawny rats tasted like crowfood. And of course, there was the ever-present danger of Twolegs.

Holding the scrap of meat in her mouth, she padded towards Fourtrees, where Scourge had decided the camp would be. She tossed the rat onto the fresh-kill pile, her mouth watering at the sight of the plump squirrels and rabbits that taunted her silently. But Scourge had issued a law that no Clan cats could eat until every BloodClan cat had, by penalty of death.

Bone, the 'deputy' of the Clan, sneered down at Sand from the Great Rock, viciously tearing into a squirrel. Bones littered the ground around the tree, smelling of rotting flesh and filth. It was a disgrace to the sacred hollow, Sand inwardly scoffed.

She carefully weaved her way through the crowd of mange-ridden cats, shuddering every time her fur brushed against theirs.

The sun was setting; orange light filtered over the trees, casting a pinkish glow on the four great trees. Sand's pale ginger pelt glowed soft orange in the dying light as she padded into the forest, heading for Sunningrocks, and slowly, slowly, stars began to appear above her head.

They winked at her, dancing around the moon. How could they dance in a time like this? The Clans were over. For all Sand knew, StarClan had ceased to exist, too. How could the moon still shine, the stars still dance and twinkle and wink lightheartedly?

She wearily climbed atop a boulder, watching the silver water of the river slide past. It looked as if the moon had fallen into the river, making it glow unnaturally.

Slowly, Sand lifted her head to the sky, her eyes shining wetly. "StarClan, have you abandoned us? Do you not watch over us any longer? How could you let something like this happen?"

But there was no reply. The stars glittered down at her coldly, and they no longer seemed playful and happy. They seemed to sneer at her, laughing meanly at her misfortune, and, snarling, Sand slashed a paw into the silver water. It quavered, the stars' reflection disappearing, and small ripple going out from where her paw had connected with the water.

Wearily, Sand lay down on the cold rock, closing her eyes. The hard stone wasn't warm and comfortable, as it seemed during the day; it dug into her side painfully, and it seemed a long time before she finally drifted off.

**-N-**

_"Sandstorm. Sandstorm."_

Sand lifted her head weakly. A glowing figure stood before her. No matter how she squinted, she couldn't see who it was; the light shone too strongly, and she found she had to look away quickly before staring too long.

"Sandstorm," the cat repeated with more urgency this time.

"Who is it?" Sand finally replied, staring hard at the cat.

The figure stepped forward, and Sand drew in a sharp breath.

It was Firestar.

Bluestar, the former leader of ThunderClan, followed shortly.

"Firestar," Sand breathed.

Firestar stared at her intently, but Bluestar continued without acknowledging it. "Sandstorm, StarClan has an urgent message. The fate of the Clans depends on it."

"The Clans are no more," Sand said acidly, her eyes narrowed. "There is only BloodClan now."

"No." Firestar said it with such fervor that Sand fought the urge to back up. "No," he repeated. "The Clans live on forever."

"Sandstorm, remember; the fire blazes stronger than any force against it. Never forget." Bluestar meowed intensely.

"Firestar is dead!" Sand shot back, glaring, her voice rising dangerously.

Nobody said anything for a long time. Whether it was seasons or heartbeats, Sand would never know. But when Bluestar finally did speak, it was with such urgency that Sand felt frightened.

Bluestar leaned so close to Sand's face that their noses were only a whisker apart. She stared hard into Sand's eyes, and whispered so softly Sand hardly heard her, _"Even the smallest flicker can be stoked into the strongest blaze."_

And then the sunlight was flickering through the branches, the morning birds twittering in the trees, and Sand was lifting her head from the rock by the river.

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**I've been in a very write-y mood, lately. :D Expect more, hopefully, soon. Reviews truly do help. It was them that inspired this chapter. I'd like to hear your theories on what'll happen, also. ;)  
**


	4. New Alliances

**First of, a big THANK YOU to all my reviewers. It means a lot. Sorry I didn't have time to reply to most of them; if you had questions, repeat them in your next review— I'll get to them then. I can't remember what I replied to and what I didn't.**

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Crow gnawed on the bone of a rabbit, trying desperately to get every bit of meat off of it. He needed it; his six-moon-old body was emaciated, his bones sticking gauntly out, his eyes hollow and blank. Kits were not treated well by Scourge; the basic rule was learn to hunt, get someone else to do it for you, or die.

Abandoning the dry, marrowless bone, he padded weakly along the river, glancing over at what used to be RiverClan territory. _Maybe, just maybe, I can catch a fish… _he thought hopefully, and began to climb slowly down the rocky side of the gorge.

Reaching the bottom, panting, he stared at the foaming river; it was very strong here. But the image of a fresh, fattened fish in his mind extinguished all sense; without hesitating, he stuck a first paw in the river.

Crow grimaced at the feeling; he pulled out his paw and shook the drops of water from it, scowling at the water. But he needed food; if he could just get across this river, he told himself, he could go to a calmer place, and catch a fish.

Taking a deep breath, he leapt in.

Cold daggers pierced his thin, wispy WindClan fur. The river seemed to have come to life; it grabbed at him with icy fingers, pulling him down, down, down, into the darkness.

Suddenly, he was rising; _is StarClan taking me to their hunting grounds? _he wondered.

No, he was still freezing. He was just able to breathe now. He groggily opened his eyes and saw the blurred vision of a silver cat, before passing out due to lack of oxygen.

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"You're finally awake." A light, female voice trilled happily as Crow opened his eyes.

A vaguely-familiar silver tabby she-cat stood before him; _where have I seen her before? _he wondered.

As if reading his mind, she mewed, "I'm the one that saved you from drowning two sunrises ago, you stupid furball." She stared at him wonderingly. "What were you thinking, going and nearly getting yourself drowned like that?"

"It's none of your business!" Crow spat indignantly. Guiltily, he mumbled, "Thanks, though."

"Hmm. Do you think you have nine lives? You owe me one."

"Fine." The silence stretched to an uncomfortable length before Crow finally asked, "Who are you, anyway?"

"Feather. I'm a—was a—RiverClan cat."

"Oh." He groped for something to say. "I'm—er, was—WindClan "

Feather snorted in an annoyed way, but her eyes twinkled good-naturedly. "Of course you were. Only WindClan cats swim _that_ badly." She paused for effect, then added, "Well, at least you don't smell as bad now."

"Hey!" Though his tone was angry, a tiny smile twitched at the corner of his mouth.

That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

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** I had to sneak my love for those two in. They shall be massive parts of this story 3 ~**

**Crow is six moons, Feather eight. Yes, I know Feather is older than that and Crow younger, but I had to change it to make it work.**


	5. Newer Alliances

**Hello, my readers, if I have any left. I would like to apologize for my inactivity. I really am sorry, but life has been crazy. However, I have the next five chapters for this story ready and will steadily start posting them. I also hope to update Warrior'D Songs, soon. My story, "Forever," though, I have little inspiration to write for and cannot promise anything about.**

**Once again, I apologize, and hope that I can begin to be active again.**

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Sand stumbled through RiverClan's old territory, a scrawny vole in her jaws. Even with her advanced hunting abilities, it had taken her forever to catch it. It seemed as though the BloodClan cats were devouring everything in the forest.

Suddenly she heard two cats meowing in low voices. She moved closer to the sound and listened hard.

"Crow, we can't give up. There must be a way to rally them."

A tom's voice spoke now, presumably the one called Crow. "If any of the BloodClan cats hear you say that we'll be dead in a second. Keep your voice down."

_Hmm,_ Sand thought. She padded in softly. "Hello in there; don't worry," she added quickly, "I'm not BloodClan. I am Sand, formerly Sandstorm of ThunderClan."

Crow growled. "What do you want?"

"Put a mouse in it, Crow—she's obviously not a threat." A young silver tabby with blue eyes emerged from the bracken nest. "Hello. I'm Feather of RiverClan. The other cat is my friend, Crow of WindClan. Pay no attention to him; he's a bit of a grumpy furball."

Sand narrowed her eyes; "What were you talking about."

Feather glanced away. "Not… anything important. Just me wishing things were different."

Sand decided not to push it, not yet. Her gaze raked up and down Feather's lithe body. "How have you managed to stay so well-fed?"

"I… well, the BloodClan cats don't know the first thing about fishing. Most of the RiverClan cats are fine because we do, and the river prey hasn't been depleted."

"I see."

Feather shifted uncomfortably on her paws. "Would you be… interested in allying with us? I can see you're a pretty decent hunter if you're still able to find forest prey."

Sand opened her mouth to decline—she was determined to stay a loner—but something, (perhaps the spirit of Firestar?) urged her to accept. "…Okay. Fine." She nodded briskly.

"Crow! Get out here!" Feather turned and barked into the den. Moments later, an even younger (and considerably smaller) black tomcat emerged and glanced a Sand with cold eyes.

"So. You'll be staying with us, then?" he asked evenly.

Sand decided not to be outdone by this young apprentice. "I suppose so," she said shortly.

Crow nodded at her in a sign of… was it respect? Or simply a show of tolerance? Sand resolved to watch this cat. He didn't seem to be _bad_, but he was a bit… odd.

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**I would greatly appreciate reviews, so, please, do so. It really does help me.**


	6. Quarreling

**Hey! Here's the next chapter. Thanks a billion to everyone who reviewed :)**

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Sand padded into the den with a trout in her mouth. "Hey, I'm back." Her belly fur brushed the ground as she entered, and Feather glanced at it once again.

"Sand… we need to find a medicine cat. Mudfur must be around here somewhere…" she started.

"I'm fine," Sandstorm snapped. "Cats have been kitting for countless seasons before me. I don't need a medicine cat."

"Still… if something happened, neither of us knows the slightest thing about medicine. And I'm pretty sure we can rule out Crow," Feather purred in amusement. "That tom barely knows how to hunt."

Sand shook her head to clear it. "Whatever. But I don't need any help."

"Sand…" Feather said softly. "They're Firestar's kits. Don't you want to make sure they're born healthy?"

Sand stopped. She whipped around at Feather, eyes blazing. "You don't know the first thing about Firestar. You're hardly more than a kit!"

Feather stood up taller, measuring up to Sand, her own eyes ablaze. "But I know my father. I know how much he cared for Firestar. I know the stories he told me and my brother as we were falling asleep at night. I know how he fought with Firestar over my mother and how Firestar allowed my father to follow his heart. And I know how Firestar risked his life to save mine and my brother's when Tigerstar imprisoned us because of our parents. I may not have known him personally, but I knew his heart."

Sand turned away, lashing her tail. She stormed out of the den, her thoughts cursing Feather. _She doesn't understand._

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Suddenly, Sand felt an urge to return to ThunderClan's old camp. She hadn't been there in moons. The thought of the canyon that had housed her Clan made her chest ache. Every detail came rushing back to her now; the hollow tree of the apprentices' den, the Highrock, the brambled entrance. Her paws carried her quickly over the ground, across the river to the Sunningrocks, through the familiar forest…

_Snap._

Sand's ears angled back to catch the sound. Someone, or something, was nearby. A flash of white caught her eye, and a medley of familiar scents washed over her. She felt a purr brewing in her throat. "Cloud? Bright? Dust? And… Fern?"

The four cats stepped out of the darkness, their eyes bright. "Is that really you, Sand?" Dust rumbled. "We… figured you were dead. No cat has caught scent of you in over a moon."

"Of course," Fern added, "the same can be said of many other cats."

Sand squinted at them. "As in?"

"Hmm. Mouse, Golden, Bramble, and Ash, most notably. And a similar selection from the other Clans." Cloud nodded his head to one side, as he often did when he talked.

"Frost is… being… held, by Scourge and his… accomplices." Bright put in. "Her, and a few other she-cats from the Clans. Tawny, I believe… maybe Feather."

"Not Feather. I've holed up with Feather and Crow, a cat from WindClan, on the border between RiverClan and WindClan."

Dust cocked his head at her, a hint of suspicion in his gaze. "Odd pair to ally with." he said softly.

Sand shrugged. "They knew how to fish. Forest prey is scarce."

Fern's eyes were trained on Sand's protruding abdomen. "Sand, are you with kits? Are they…" she trailed off.

"Firestar's. Yes. That's why I'm here. I'm looking for a medicine cat. Where are Mud and Littlecloud?"

Bright stepped forward. "I've spent a lot of time around Fourtrees. I know that Scourge has made Mud be BloodClan's medicine cat, if you can call him that—more along the lines of cat that treats the wounds of his cats when they get into tussles over scraps of food. Littlecloud, however, is running free with a group of leftover cats from RiverClan and ShadowClan. They're living in ShadowClan territory; it seems Scourge and the others don't have a taste for toads and lizards."

_Then that's where I'll go. _Sand nodded at the band of cats. "I'll be on my way, then."

"Wait!" Cloud huffed and stepped in her path. "We've finally found you. Aren't you going to stay with us? We're ThunderClan cats! We should stick together. We must do something about Scourge!"

Sand looked at him for a long time, her emotions unreadable. "The Clans are no more." She pushed past him, ignoring his protests behind her. They died away as she steadily padded onward to the Thunderpath.

The acrid smell of monsters filled Sand's nose, and she stealthily crept through the passage beneath the Thunderpath, flinching as her paws were dampened by the dank floor. She let out a long breath when she emerged, her gaze steadily passing over the swamplands of ShadowClan. Then she nodded to herself, sent a prayer up to StarClan, and set out to find Littlecloud.

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"Crow, we have to find Sand," Feather pleaded. "She's our friend."

"Maybe she's yours," Crow muttered sourly. "But not mine!"

"Oh, fine; be that way, you stupid furball! But whether you're coming with me or not, I'm going to find her."

Crow scowled, then, secretly terrified of being left alone, mewed, "Oh, alright. I'll come. But only because you want to." He licked his black chest fur a few times, smoothing it down.

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"And so that's why we're here. Have you seen her?" Feather concluded her story to the four strange cats in front of her. She was sure from the scent that they were ThunderClan cats, and was fairly certain that the dusky brown tom was Dustpelt—now Dust—from the descriptions of her father.

Cloud nodded. "She passed through here a sunrise ago. We asked her to stay with us, but she ignored us; seemed determined to get to ShadowClan territory. I think she was looking for Littlecloud."

_So I did get through to her, _Feather thought smugly. "Thanks. We're—" –She nodded at Crow, who was silently glowering at the ThunderClan cats—"going to go find her."

"Wait." The brown one, Dust, stepped forward. "Sand mentioned that you taught her to fish."

"Yeah, she did." Crow spoke now, a challenging look in his eyes. "What about it?"

Fern tilted her head and meowed, "We're proposing that we merge. Together, we stand a better chance of defending against Scourge. And," Fern glanced at Feather, "You should know that, if Scourge's patrols see either me or Feather, there's a good chance we'll be snatched."

"Snatched?" Crow's voice quavered slightly.

"Yes. It seems that Scourge and his higher officers have a tendency to capture she-cats and force them to be servants to BloodClan. The more of us there are, the better chance we have of defending against an attack."

"Then… I think we should join together." Crow shot a glance at Feather as he spoke.

Feather inwardly gasped. Despite the dark circumstances, she had to stifle a _mrrow_ of amusement. Was Crow _actually_ admitting that he wasn't very powerful? And furthermore, that he cared about her? She felt a mixture of annoyance that _he_ felt like he had to protect _her, _when _she _was the one who saved his pelt from drowning. But at the same time, a warm feeling spread over her at his willingness to trust other cats for her. She decided not to be difficult.

"I agree," Feather added. "The more of us together the better. But," she continued, "after we find Sand, we'll need to move closer to the river. Otherwise we can't fish."

"Fine with me," Cloud snorted. "I could eat a fox, I'm so hungry." Then he muttered to himself, "Never thought I'd see the day when I ate a slimy RiverClan fish."

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**I know the main complaint is that my chapters aren't long enough, so this one is considerably longer than my others. It's what I intended to be two chapters compressed into one. **

**Please review, I really appreciate it, plus I'm almost out of already-written chapters so I'll need to write more soon. And reviews always inspire me to write ^^  
**


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